After all, marshmallows are basically just air!

Thursdays are reserved for YOUR questions. I will be picking my favorite questions- If I use your question on this blog, you will win a $5 Target Gift card- so start sending them in!

Melissa G. from Yorktown Heights, NY asked this question:

Dear Cici,

I notice on the boards that some of the ladies are grocery shopping for families of 4 or more and only spending $75 a week! How is that even possible? It is just my husband and I and our dog- and I spend EASILY $150 a week. PLUS we still eat out 2-3 times a week. PLEASE help me cut my grocery bill!

Dear Melissa,

They lie. Or they have eating disorders. And by disorders, I mean do not enjoy eating. I cannot even begin to fathom spending only $75 a week at the grocery store. I feed one husband, two children, and two cats. (I eat too!) And even with my meticulous planning and budget conscious shopping, I am lucky to escape the store for less than $150.

This is quite an improvement from my former self. $300 for 10 days was normal. Then I realized I was spending almost $1,000 a month on food. I sat down and made a list of ways to cut expenses, and I am happy to share them with you. Of course, every family is different and cannot do without certain brands.

Take for example, my husband. The man is a ham snob. He cannot eat the "wet slimy" store brand. He even has a bumper sticker on his car- 'Give me Boar's Head or give me death!' I choose, for the time being anyway, to give him Boar's Head. Of course that is subject to change at any time. $8.79 a pound for his cold cut addiction is a small price to pay for my sanity.

I also have a bit of bias when it comes to cheese. I like my cheese to be, well, cheese. I cannot eat 'Pasteurized processed cheese food' and will not subject my children to it either. $6.19 a pound was the street value of my white American, sliced thin; last time I checked. So the basic ingredients of a sandwich have already tallied the bill to around $15.

In these parts, we go through approximately 5 gallons of milk a week. I *almost* had my husband convinced it would be cheaper to buy our very own cow, but he surmised that eating cookie crisp while gazing at the source of his milk would surely ruin the experience.

So, I came up with better ways to cut our bill.

1. PLAN AHEAD! Sit down and make a menu for the week. Plan for lunches, dinners and snacks. Complete a detailed list of what you need to buy to make that menu come to fruition. I know it's no fun deciding Sunday morning what you will want for dinner on Wednesday night, but planning is KEY. Buy ONLY what is on your list.

2. Do not shop hungry. Going to the grocery store while you are hungry is like going to a singles bar the night after you get dumped. In both cases, chances are good you will go home with something you wish you hadn't. Shopping hungry also adds to impulse buying. The first whiff of rotisserie chickens coming from the deli, and you are buying a box of chocolate covered grasshoppers because they sound salty AND sweet.

3. Some people will tell you to buy day old bread or short dated meat. I am NOT one of those people. I like my bread fresh and my meat fresher. But if you come across a good sale on either; some wax paper and Ziploc bags will help you freeze them.

4. Join a wholesale club. Costco, BJ's, and Sam's all qualify as wholesale clubs. I find their dairy (Milk, eggs, and butter) to be cheaper than my grocery store. Be careful though, it is VERY easy to assume you will have the need for 212 Snickers bars.

5. Clip Coupons- I know, it's time consuming and you never remember to bring them anyway. BUT, if you avoid it at all costs, at least check the store flyers that come in the mailbox. Around here, there is ALWAYS a $5/$50 to SOME grocery store and my store takes competitor coupons.

6. Cook ahead- There seems to be a trend sweeping the nation- once a month cooking. People will set aside an entire day to cook a months worth of oven to table meals. Holy crap! I don't even want to cook ONE day's meal, nonetheless a whole months worth! But, these aggressive cookers are on to something. Having a meatloaf ready to pop into the oven and eat within an hour is a far more budget friendly decision than calling Pizza Hut.

7. ALWAYS have a staple food available. When I brown ground beef for a recipe, I always cook a pound more than I need. I freeze the crumbles, and sleep better knowing it's there. On the days when I just don't feel like making dinner, I can throw the crumbles in a pan, add some water and seasoning and we have tacos!

8. Shop the lower shelves of the grocery store. The more expensive name brands are usually at eye level, while the store brands are lower. This is no mistake. This is marketing in its most beautiful form. We are a lazy breed. It's much easier to grab the box of Froot Loops at our level, than to bend down and pick up the box of Moot Loops. I like to challenge myself; I pick whatever is on the absolute highest shelf. I am only 5'3'', so I often give up.

9. Take advantage of BOGO ( Buy one get one free) Sure, you may not NEED two jars of Mayonnaise this week, but you WILL need it sometime, may as well get two while the second one is free.

10. Once you have your budgeted amount set, and your list ready to go, take that amount of CASH to the store with you. Do not bring your debit or credit card, or checkbook. You will think twice about throwing a box of mallow mars in your cart when you realize you could be standing at the cashier with ten people waiting behind you; all waiting for you to decide what's more important, mallow mars or apples. (For the record, I would choose the mallow mars.)

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@mycoupons.com